WASHINGTON – Responding to the needs of service members who were prisoners of war during Operation Iraqi Freedom, President Bush has proposed legislation to Congress that would improve benefits for former POWs.
"What we're proposing is to eliminate the current requirement in federal law that a former POW must be detained for at least 30 days in order to qualify for full POW benefits," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi.
For its disability compensation program, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) currently presumes that certain medical conditions in former POWs who were held at least 30 days are related to their captivity. Using this presumption, a veteran may obtain financial benefits without providing evidence directly linking a medical problem to captivity.
"That may have made sense years ago for some conditions linked to nutritional deficiencies, but even a few days enduring terror at the hands of enemy captors may lead to other conditions," Principi said.
The VA proposal also would improve dental care eligibility and exempt former POWs from current copayments for medications for non-service connected conditions. Currently, some ex-POWs may be charged $7 for drugs that treat conditions unrelated to their service.
The current presumptions in law recognize that military medical records do not cover periods of captivity, which make it difficult for a veteran to provide evidence of the conditions endured. VA pays tax-free disability compensation ranging from $104 to $2,193 monthly, depending on the degree of disability, with additional sums for dependents.
In transmitting the draft bill to the speaker of the House and the president of the Senate, Principi said, "Studies have shown that the physical hardships and psychological stress endured by POWs have life-long effects on health and on social and vocational adjustment."
Because benefits have changed over the years, VA took steps earlier this year to ensure that all former POWs are aware of benefits to which they are entitled. VA's outreach included mailing benefits information to more than 10,000 former POWs currently receiving compensation as well, as another 4,700 known ex-POWs not on its rolls.
Although results are now being collected to measure the effect of the outreach campaign, early indications are that VA is receiving hundreds of claims from POWs for new benefits or for higher disability ratings.
Because 93 per cent of U.S. former POWs served in World War II, a group with an average age of 82, the overall number of surviving ex-POWs fell by nearly 2,800 last year. VA is taking special efforts to process the claims of older veterans quickly.
